Saturday, May 28, 2016

It was a typical Saturday morning. The night before we had met friends out in OTR and rode our bikes home. I asked Tim if he wanted to stop by our spot (where we met) on the way home, and he said we would go tomorrow because he had to pick up his computer at work anyway.

So, like I said, it was a typical Saturday. We decided to ride bikes to Tim's work to grab his computer and then get breakfast. He told me his boss and coworkers might be at work, so I threw on a skirt over my bike shorts and off we went.

Casually, on the way over the bridge, Tim asked if I still wanted to stop by our spot. "Of course!" I said. So we biked over to where we first met in the park and looked out over the river. I tried to turn my head once and Tim smiled and turned my head back to the river. Then he told me to turn around and there was his mom, brother, and sister and my mom, sister, and nephew with signs that read, "Will You Marry Me?" I looked at Tim with big eyes and a wide smile. He thought I would walk toward our family first, but I wanted to hear the question from him. He got down on one knee, held my hand, and asked me to marry him. I shook my head in complete surprise and happiness and Tim was wondering if I would actually verbalize a yes, to which I finally did! He put the ring on my finger and we became engaged!

Tim could not have planned the proposal any better. I had no idea it was coming because everything just fell into place so normally and perfectly. We all celebrated at the park with champagne and a little breakfast. Two ladies walking their dogs stopped and had a conversation with us and took a family photo. They were so excited. Another lady offered us concert tickets to see Over the Rhine perform that night, but we already had tickets to an FCC soccer game. Everyone around us was so happy for us!

The day continued as Tim, Meredith, and I enjoyed Taste of Cincinnati, went to Rhinegeist's rooftop bar, and Residence Inn rooftop bar. I told everyone along the way that we were engaged. We ran into the Fay family at Taste and the Rizzo family at Residence Inn. I told strangers our big news and everyone was so excited. I was terrified that my ring would drop down the elevator shaft;I wasn't used to it yet! That evening we went to an FCC game and by the time we got home, we were exhausted!

It was a wonderful day filled with family, sunshine, friends, and being outdoors! I love Timothy with all my heart and cannot wait to marry him!

Tuesday, May 17, 2016

I graduated with my Masters from Georgetown College this past weekend!

I was going to skip the ceremony, but Tim encouraged me to go and I'm glad I did. It helped make the degree more real, since all of my classes were online. I told Tim that getting my Masters was something I had to do for my job; it was expected and necessary to climb the pay-scale. All teachers get their Masters, so this is not a great big deal. He was bothered that I thought about the degree that way. He mentioned that many people do not do what they are supposed to or expected to do and that he watched me work hard on papers and give a lot of thought to class discussion and readings. He's the best partner to have by my side; he supports me in everything and helps me realize my accomplishments. And of course my mom, sister, and Michael were right there to cheer me on! Michael cheered a little too much at the ceremony repeating my name "Nim" and wondering why I couldn't go sit with them! It was a wonderful ceremony and I am proud of my MA in Leadership with an Endorsement in English as a Second Language!